WATCH: The Horrifying Moment UFC’s Anderson Silva’s Leg Breaks In Two

UFC is known for being the most brutal sport around the world. In an octagon cage, competitors take to an “anything goes,” free-for-all fight. Saturday night, Anderson Silva fought in a championship match where his final kick potentially ended his fighting career and gruesomely broke his leg.

The UFC cage match was a highly anticipated fight in Las Vegas between the two best current fighters in the world. Silva is commonly referred to as the best UFC fighter ever as he has held the championship belt for six consecutive years. A master in the martial arts of his country, Brazilian jujitsu, he took on an undefeated American, Chris Weidman.

During the fight, Silva checks Weidman with a kick to the leg. Weidman raises his knee to counter the blow placing it where Silva’s shin was going land. Upon his unsuccessful first attempt, Silva tries once again to land the same blow aiming for Weidman’s upper leg.

As Weidman followed suit and countered with the same move, the fight that was immortalized as one of the most brutal moments in its history. At the moment of impact, Silva’s lower leg is seen breaking and wrapping around his opponents knee.

If you watch a bit further, you can see Silva still unaware of the break as he tries to stand on it. As he attempts to remain upright, you can see the fighter puzzled. He looks down to see what is going on when he realizes the severity of the situation.

Silva then collapses to the mat screaming in agonizing pain. “Silva later told his corner he cracked his shin bone with his first kick before breaking it with his next attempt.”

Soon after, the ex-champion was hauled off, strapped to a stretcher with his leg in a brace. He was taken to a nearby hospital where his UFC orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Steven Sanders, reported that Silva’s tibia and fibula had been broken.

UFC released a statement saying:

“Following Saturday evening’s UFC 168 main event, former champion Anderson Silva was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg. The successful surgery, performed by Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC’s orthopedic surgeon, inserted an intramedullary rod into Anderson’s left tibia.”

The doctor expounded later that:

“The broken fibula was stabilized and does not require a separate surgery. Anderson will remain in the hospital for a short while, but no additional surgery is scheduled at this time. Recovery time for such injuries may vary between three and six months. Anderson is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his fans and the entire MMA community. There has been no immediate decision about his future, and he would kindly ask for privacy at this time as he deals with his injury and prepares to return home to recover.”

After the fight, reporters talked to Weidman who said, “There’s no real excitement in a fight finishing like that, because you never want to see anyone get hurt like that.”

He explained, “I knew coming into the fight that what he could hurt me most with was the leg kicks. We trained checking the kick a lot. The idea is to pull your leg and for their shin to land at the knee. That’s exactly what I did, and I felt his leg go right away.”

He went on to explain, “It’s knee on shin, so when he goes to kick, you put your knee on his shin. It has happened in sparring and guys take a minute off and walk around, and at least it stops them from kicking you.”

Weidman finished by conveying, “To break someone’s leg, I’ve never done that before. I didn’t want to see Anderson get hurt like that.” He ended by paying tribute to his opponent saying, “He’s still known as the greatest fighter of all time.”

GRAPHIC: Watch the video of the break below and let us know what you think in a comment.